Stlukesguild

Over the holidays I had plenty of time to listen to music sitting in the light of the Christmas tree and the glow of the candle-light. One new disc I've been listening to is Three Ragas by Ravi Shankar, recorded in the late 1950s.



Ravi Shankar was a phenomenal musician... one of the greatest sitar players within the classical Indian tradition. He became well known, for better or worse, through his association with the Beatles. Nevertheless, he was no pop version of exotica. Intriguingly, I found that the droning modal qualities of the Indian ragas are not as out of place with my other holiday listening as might be thought. There is something quite similar to the modal qualities of Medieval European music... Gregorian Chants, Leonin, Perotin, Gesualdo, etc...

This example of Shankar playing comes from much later in his career:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JjrW...130F9D&index=3

On Christmas Day I listened to the old traditional masterwork for the holiday:
Handel's Messiah.



Like Shankar, the Messiah has been hyped by popular culture to a point where many might doubt it's merit. Doubt no further. Handel stands not far beneath Bach in the pantheon of Baroque composers... indeed within the whole of Western classical music. The Messiah may just be his greatest achievement. Handel composed a vast array of operas and oratorios... to say nothing of his instrumental music. There are a number of truly masterful oratorios... which were virtually operas sans the drama/acting with an emphasis on choral passages. Saul, Solomon, Judas Maccabeus, and Joshua are all masterpieces in their right... but the Messiah is something special. The wealth of memorable arias and choruses is unrivaled:

"Comfort ye, my people"-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhy2S...om=PL&index=12

"O Thou that tellest good tidings to Zion"-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWXxf...eature=related

"All we like sheep have gone astray..."-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeAGb9KK1cs

"Lift up ye heads, o ye gates..."-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kzgVzg8nVk

"Hallelujah"-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uOabPZScQs

"I know that my redeemer liveth"-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sytc...eature=related

"The trumpet shall sound..."-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7555EtvhwKQ

And one could certainly discover any number of other "peaks" within this marvelous work. I had hoped to see the work in person this year... but other things intervened. Oh well...

Today I have been playing a disc that just arrived in the mail from Amazon: Anna Netrebko: Souvenirs:



While there are undoubtedly several contemporary singers whom I prefer to Netrebko, she is undoubtedly one of the "hottest" rising stars of opera. I have been following her since first coming upon her marvelous Russian Album which is many ways spurred my recent interest in Russian opera. This latest collection focuses upon "lighter" and more intimate/personal music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soyAJE4U_BI

The disc collects any number of sensual and joyful arias from various late 19th century operettas... a number by composers who are in no way household names: Emmerich Kalman...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYf-u9MZZR8

Richard Heuberger, Geronimo Gimenez. There are also a number of songs, performed in orchestral version, by Grieg, Strauss, Reynaldo Hahn, and others. The music is perfectly suited to Netrebko's lyrical soprano and her marvelous ability to exude a theatrical sensuality. One of the songs included on the disc is Franz Lehar's Meine Lippen, Sie küssen so heiss (My lips, they kiss with such fire) which Netrebko performed is a joyous... almost cabaret manner... before the BBC Proms audience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_kaO...eature=related

One of the highlights of the new disc is the Bacarolle from Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann performed in duet with Elina Garanca (with whom Netrebko performed the marvelous recent recording of Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u0M4CMq7uI

Highly recommended!